Brighton are demanding a high price for Caicedo, but Chelsea are ready to offer players as part of the deal.
Although Caicedo is free to leave Brighton, the Premier League team wants far more than the £70 million they turned down from Arsenal in January. They may grow more confident in light of West Ham United’s Declan Rice value.
Chelsea are leading the pack of teams vying to recruit Caicedo, including Bayern Munich, and have not let Brighton’s high asking price deter them.
Negotiating a deal with Brighton, though, won’t be simple because it’s believed that owner Tony Bloom values the 21-year-old at up to £120 million.
While a club is unlikely to pay that much for Caicedo, Chelsea will undoubtedly have to spend over £80 million to sign the Ecuadorian international or consent to a player moving the other way.
Levi Colwill, who spent last season on loan at the Amex Stadium, has already had a bid from Brighton rejected by Chelsea, who insist that the defender will be a member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team in the upcoming season.
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In exchange for Caicedo, Chelsea would be willing to let a number of other players, possibly including England international Conor Gallagher, join Brighton.
Chelsea believes that Caicedo would be open to a move to Stamford Bridge and that personal terms would not be a problem despite Chelsea’s failure to qualify for Europe.
Arsenal made a January approach for Caicedo, but they are currently concentrating their efforts on a deal to get Rice from West Ham. Newcastle United also has an interest in Rice.
However, according to Telegraph Sport, Newcastle are considering a move for Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella and are pursuing James Maddison of Leicester City.
Harvey Barnes and James Maddison are both targets for Tottenham Hotspur, who have denied making a joint offer of £50 million for both players. However, the London club is interested in both players. It would consider allowing Harry Winks to join Leicester as part of a deal for one or both of them.
